Learning to Understand
by LizziMarie
Summary: When the Titans learn something new about their green-skinned teammate, they realize that language isn't the only way to understand something. A truth is revealed - a truth that is going to change both their view of a teammate, as well at their realtionship. (Oneshot!)


_Hey guys! So I finally decided to write another story. This will be a oneshot, simply because I don't think I have enough content to fit into a multi-chapter story. But I want to do one of those as well - as soon as I'm able to, that is._

 _So, this is a Teen Titans fanfic: This will take place in the cartoon universe from 2003, NOT the comics or Teen Titans Go! (that is a show I will NEVER write about, or watch for that matter.) This will be Beast Boy centric. Anyway, enjoy!_

 **DISCLAIMER: Teen Titans does NOT belong to me.**

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 _Dear Diary,_

 _I will never forget what happened that one night... We simply hang out in the main room, and things just happened..._

It was a gray, rainy day in Jump City. The weather was stormy, the rain crashed down hard and dark, menacing clouds covered the sky. Not one person bothered or wanted to go outside, and the Titans were no exception. The teenage heroes were bored out of their minds. Beast Boy and Cyborg didn't have any video games to play or any TV-shows to watch, seeing as the weather could damage the electricity in the tower if the devices were powered on (at least, that's what Cyborg said. And no one bothered to argue with the mechanic genius). So they simply grabbed some snacks and ended up talking about what they were going to do as soon as the storm outside would stop. Raven were sitting at the edge of the sofa reading, not that she would do anything else with this weather outside. Stafire sat at the other edge playing with her alien pet Silkie. And Robin were standing against the kitchen counter reading through some documents. To put it simply, everyone was doing whatever they could come up with that did not involve going out in the rain.

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A little while later, lightning suddenly struck outside and thunder was heard. The sudden noise caused the green changeling to snap out of his nap on the edge of the table in front of the sofa.

" _Jamani_...!" he mumbled to himself. Despite praying that no one else heard him, Cyborg, being the closest to him, caught his unusual exclamation.

"Wait.. what was that, BB?" he wondered.

"Huh..?" the shape shifter responded tiredly. "What is it?"

Robin, who had heard Beast Boy's expression as well, responded while walking over.

"Cyborg asked what you said right after you woke up. And honestly, I'm a little curious as well. That didn't sound like English." the spike-haired leader said, a little curious as to why he didn't know his teammate spoke another language.

Beast Boy seemed a little surprised at the question, before answering. "Uh... I-I don't know what you're talking about. What did I say exactly?" he wondered. He seemed calm on the outside, but his mind was racing. 'Damn it, I didn't even realize I said that! I wasn't expecting them to hear it, and definitely not ask me about it. What do I say?' The Tameranian interrupted his thoughts.

"Friend Cyborg was just wondering about the phrase you said. It seemed like what you said wasn't in the English language." she explained while leaning over, interested in the sudden development of the conversation. "Friend Beast Boy, do you perhaps have the knowledge of another language?" she inquired, revealing her curiosity on the matter.

"Um... well, you see..." the green titan stuttered, a small blush on his cheeks caused by the sudden attention. He sighed.

"Alright, fine. I'll tell you." he said softly, feeling like there was no way out of the situation.

The team inched closer, curious to hear his explanation.

"well, you know that my parents worked mostly in Africa, and that they were biologists, right?" he asked. His friends nodded. They noticed his solemn look - they knew he hated talking about his past. "Well, I grew up there. In fact, I think that as of this year, I've spent more time here than back home."

"Anyway, my parents started teaching me how to speak and read when I was around three or four years old. Since they didn't know whether or not they'd return to the states or stay in Africa after I was old enough to join them on expeditions, they decided to teach me the main language in the region we lived in. So yeah, what you heard was Swahili. It's actually my first language. They taught me English as well, but we mostly spoke in Swahili to each other. After they-" He gulped and cleared his throat. He was clearly uncomfortable speaking about them.

"After they... died... I had to teach myself most of the stuff I know about the English language today. I spent several hours reading through Swahili-English dictionaries and spent a lot of my nights at the library going through dictionaries online. I didn't want to have a hard time talking to others so I took it upon myself to learn. Eventually I met up with the Doom Patrol, where Rita continued teaching me. She was always like a second mother to me, and I actually got in contact with her recently. We tend to talk via calls or video chats, where she tutors me about the stuff I don't know that well. I continue to have problems with some words and expressions, so that's why I don't tend to use big or complicated words when talking. I simply don't have that much of a vocabulary." he finished with a sigh.

When he didn't hear any response he opened his eyes to look at his teammates. They all wore a very surprised expression. Robin's mouth was practically hanging open, his eyes (or mask) were a little bit wide. Raven had an eyebrow raised, her mouth a little open as well. Cyborg was staring at him, clearly the most shocked out of all of them. Starfire was actually not surprised, she actually seemed more interested in the new knowledge about her green friend.

"Uh... guys?" he asked his friends, a little concerned that they weren't speaking. Robin was the first to snap out of it.

"So... um... what did you exactly say back there? You never really told us." he asked, still a little unsure about what he thought of the newly acquired information. Although, he knew one thing: He knew much less about his shape-shifting teammate than he thought. And honestly, he felt really bad for never bothering to ask him about it. And even though he didn't know, his friends felt the exact same thing.

"Oh, well, I just said "damn it" because I was a little frightened by the thunder, that's all." he said calmly. His robotic friend quickly voiced his opinion.

"Soooo... let me get this straight: You have known a whole nother language all this time while we've been a team, and we've never heard you speak it. Not even once?!" he said shocked.

"Yeah, although I'm not surprised that you haven't heard me speak it before. Even though I speak it fluently, I wasn't aware that I stopped speaking it after I joined the team. I guess I just keep to the language that everyone else around me speaks." he explained calmly.

The raven-haired girl on the other edge spoke up, surprising the green changeling.

"Wow. I mean, I didn't know that this was the reason you don't exactly use big words. I just assumed you weren't a guy for big words." she wondered, speaking in her usual, calming, monotone voice. The shape-shifter quickly answered.

"Well, at least now you know. And, back to what you said Cyborg - I guess I just tend to use it when I'm by myself in my room. I tend to revert back to my main language when I talk to myself, or when I think about a strategy during a fight." he continued, earning a nod from the cyborg beside him.

"So, could you maybe say something in Swahili. If it's okay with you, that is." he politely asked his friend.

" _Hakika. Jina langu ni Garfield Mark Logan, na ninajua jinsi ya kuzungumza lugha ya Kiswahili_." he said, a calm, swift tone to his voice. He had a soft smile on his face, glad to speak his main language freely in front of his friends.

His team wore a blank expression on their faces. Raven had a look that inquired him to translate.

"It means: "Certainly. My name is Garfield Mark Logan, and I know how to speak Swahili language." he said while wearing a soft, calm smile on his face.

His team processed his words, when Robin suddenly asked. "Wait. Your full name is Garfield Mark Logan?" Beast Boy nodded.

"Yup. Mark was my dad's name. I always like to think that it's a reminder of what they meant to me and what big part of my life they were." he said while wearing a sad smile on his olive-green face. The Tameranian princess quickly flew over to him and gave him a gentle hug.

"I'm so very sorry, friend Beast Boy. How sad you must be feeling. We did not have the intentions to give you so solemn emotions. You must have a hard time processing the thoughts you have in your head." she said, feeling bad for her friend. He sniffed and gratefully accepted the affectionate hug from his friend.

"Yeah, man. I'm-I'm really sorry, BB. Sorry if we made you remember all that stuff." Cyborg said softly, feeling bad for his best friend. He put an affectionate arm on his back, doing his best to comfort him.

The team's leader followed suit, putting a comforting hand on the shoulder facing Raven. She hesitated, but put a hand on his leg, trying her best to comfort him as well.

The teenagers spent a few minutes, comforting their friend the best they could. Beast Boy didn't argue and appreciated his friends' comfort.

They let go and Beast Boy smiled. " _Asante sana. Ninyi watu ni bora_." he said. Before anyone could say anything, he quickly translated. "It means "Thank you very much. You are the best" - I knew what you were gonna ask." he said, a huge grin on his face.

"So, Beast Boy. Any chance you can teach us a few things?" Robin asked, a curious smile on his face. The others smiled when Beast Boy's grin became even wider hearing his leader's request. "Boy, do I?!" he eagerly got up and went to his room

His teammates smiled, happy to see him in a better mood. They quickly rearranged themselves, with Raven and Starfire sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the sofa (they moved the table to get more room), and Robin and Cyborg on either side of where Beast Boy previously sat. He came back with a dictionary in hand, along with a few story books in Swahili that he brought from Africa. He began telling them a few basic phrases while remembering to translate for his friends.

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The night passed quickly, with the Titans spending the entire evening learning a little Swahili from their green-skinned friend. Not only did they learn a new language, but more importantly, they learned more about their teammate, something each and every one of them would remember. This night brought the team closer to their teammate than ever before.

Robin found him on the rooftop one evening, and when he found out it was the anniversary of his parents' deaths, he sat down and told him what happened to his own parents. They quickly bonded and ended up talking to each other the rest of the evening, becoming more and more like brothers. Robin began including him in a few private training sessions, which Beast Boy greatly appreciated.

Cyborg went up to him one day and asked him if he could try his tofu, in exchange for Beast Boy trying a piece of meat. Cyborg ended up finding out about why he became a vegetarian, and after trying the tofu, he realized it wasn't as bad as he originally thought it out to be. Beast Boy, in return, was convinced by Cyborg to try meat more often if he ate his tofu more often as well. He agreed, as long as it was organic, a deal they both agreed to. This deal made them appreciate each other's differences.

Beast Boy also ended up spending more time together with Starfire, since they we're the most "alien" of the team. They would meet up in either Beast Boy's or Starfire's room, and talk about their childhood and their home world/country. Starfire would tell Beast Boy more about her people's traditions and her planet, while Beast Boy would tell her about how it was to grow up in the wild, as well as some facts about the many animals he could turn into and how it was to transform the first time back when he was young. They also connected on a more deeper level, and began seeing each other as brother and sister.

But the most change was between him and Raven. She didn't insult him as often as she used to, and when she did she made sure to keep a lighter tone to assure him it was just a joke. But they mostly spent their time together by reading, meditating or with Beast Boy teaching her more about the Swahili language. They soon became a couple, in which the Titans were not surprised at all when they found out.

 _...Anyways, it was safe to say we became more of a family than ever. Maybe I took them for granted before - maybe I doubted that they ever cared. But after everything that happened that night, never again. Now, I think we work better as a team than we ever did, and I enjoy spending time with each of them. Anyway, I gotta go. Raven and I are going on another date. Wish me luck! BB, out!_

 _~Garfield Logan_

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 _So yeah, that's the story! Thank you so much for reading this. I was inspired by a few other fanfics revolving around the same idea, and I couldn't help but writing one myself. Please tell me if I made any mistakes in my writing, spelling or grammar - I would love to get some feedback! Anyway, the translations was taken from Google Translate, I hope none of it was wrong._

 _Lastly: Please favorite, follow and review!_

 _Sincerely,_

LizziMarie


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